Publishers of technology books, eBooks, and videos for creative people

Home > Articles > Design > Adobe Photoshop

This chapter is from the book

Using the Lens Corrections tab

Via the Lens Corrections tab in Camera Raw, you can correct a photo for various adverse effects of lens distortion. You can straighten out an architectural feature, such as a building or fence, that looks as if it’s leaning toward or away from the viewer, or that is tilted horizontally (isn’t level); and you can correct for under- or overexposure at the edges of a photo (vignetting). The corrections can be applied using a preset profile (this page) or manually (pages 79–81).

To correct geometric distortion and vignetting via Profile settings: star.jpg

  1. Click the Lens Corrections tab. c0078-01.jpg Double-click the Hand tool c0057-02.jpg to fit the image in the preview.
  2. To access predefined lens profiles, click the Profile tab, then check Enable Lens Profile Corrections.
  3. From the Setup menu, A do the following:
    f0078-01.jpg

    A Check Enable Lens Profile Corrections, then choose Auto from the Setup menu …

    Choose Auto to have Camera Raw read the EXIF metadata in the photo and attempt to select the proper lens make, model, and predefined profile.

    If an error message indicates that the Auto option was unable to locate a profile, choose your lens manufacturer from the Make menu. B Camera Raw will locate a matching lens model and list it on the

    f0078-02.jpg

    B … or choose your lens maker from the Make menu. Regardless of the Setup option, if necessary, adjust the Distortion value.

    Model menu, and will locate a predefined profile and list it on the Profile menu. If the Model menu lists more than one model, choose the one with which the photo was shot.

  4. Under Correction Amount, do the following:

    Set the Distortion value to control the amount of correction.

    Set the Vignetting value to correct for under- or overexposure at the edges of the photo.

  5. Optional: If Camera Raw managed to locate your lens profile (step 3), you can save that profile and any custom Correction Amount settings as your new default profile by choosing Save New Lens Profile Defaults from the Setup menu. In future Camera Raw editing sessions, if you choose Default from the Setup menu, and the current photo was taken with this lens, the saved profile and settings will be applied. (To restore the Adobe predefined settings for your chosen lens, from the Setup menu, choose Reset Lens Profile Defaults.)
  6. Optional: If you want to further correct any lens distortion manually, see the next task.

To correct geometric distortion or vignetting via the Manual tab: star.jpg

  1. Click the Lens Corrections tab, c0078-01.jpg and double-click the Hand tool c0057-02.jpg to fit the image in the preview. A
    f0079-01.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    A The original photo (above) shows signs of lens distortion: The house looks as if it’s tilting away from the camera, and it’s not level.

  2. Click the Manual tab. B
    f0079-02.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    B We clicked the Manual tab (under Lens Corrections) to access these menu options and sliders.

  3. In the Upright area, click a button to apply a preset correction:

    Auto c0079-01.jpg to apply level correction and fix horizontal and vertical convergence, balanced with as little distortion as possible. C

    f0079-03.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    C Under Upright, we clicked the Auto button for a balanced correction. This partially corrected the vertical lines and vertical tilt, but the left side of the house still looks as if it’s farther away from the viewer than the right side.

    Level c0079-02.jpg to apply only level correction (not fix horizontal or vertical convergence).

    Vertical c0079-03.jpg to apply level correction and fix vertical convergence (but not horizontal convergence).

    Full c0079-04.jpg for a stronger correction of horizontal and vertical convergence, in addition to level correction (A, next page).

    f0080-01.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    A We clicked the Full button instead, which successfully made the house level and upright. To lighten the outer areas of the photo, we increased the Amount value (under Lens Vignetting).

  4. If further manual correction is needed, do any of the following:

    To spread the image out (fix pincushion distortion), lower the Distortion value; or to pinch the image inward (fix barrel distortion), increase the Distortion value.

    • To display a grid over the image so you can check the alignment, check Show Grid or press V. Adjust the grid size via the slider. B
    f0080-03.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    B We made some minor Vertical and Rotate adjustments, with Show Grid checked to help us gauge the effect.

    f0080-02.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    To widen the top of the image, (correct key-stoning) reduce the Vertical value; to widen the bottom of the image, increase the Vertical value. Readjust the Distortion value, if needed.

    To widen the left edge of the image, reduce the Horizontal value; to widen the right edge of the image, increase the Horizontal value.

    To rotate the image, change the Rotate value.

    To enlarge or shrink the photo, change the Scale value. Note: You could crop the photo instead.

    To stretch the image horizontally or vertically, change the Aspect value. This option is useful for correcting strong perspective distortion in photos taken with a wide-angle lens (A–B, next page).

    f0081-01.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    A We tried increasing the Aspect value, but this setting exaggerated and distorted the verticals of the house too much.

    f0081-02.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    B Instead, we set the Aspect value to –5, which exaggerated the horizontal proportion only slightly. The final settings we chose for the image are shown at right.

    • If you moved the Distortion slider, you can click Reanalyze (below the buttons) to force a recalculation of the Upright correction based on the Distortion value. If you want to turn off (but preserve) all your Upright corrections, click the Off button. c0080-01.jpg If you click a different Upright button, as an alert will inform you, all the Transform sliders (except Distortion) will be reset to 0.
  5. To correct or apply Lens Vignetting (lighten or darken the outer areas of the photo), set the Amount value for the strength of the correction, then set the Midpoint value to expand the vignette inward or outward. Readjust the Amount value, if needed.

    • To learn about the Lens Correction filter in Photoshop, see pages 332–333 and 439.

Another use for the Lens Corrections tab is to correct for chromatic aberration (blue-yellow or red-green color shifts), as well as purple or green color fringes. These occur when a camera lens (especially one that is set to a wide aperture) doesn’t properly focus all the wavelengths of colored light precisely to the same spot.

To correct color shifts and/or fringes: star.jpg

  1. Click the Lens Corrections tab, c0082-01.jpg then click the Color tab.
  2. To remove any blue-yellow or red-green color shifts, check Remove Chromatic Aberration.A–B
    f0082-01.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    A We noticed a purple fringe along the edge of the stone semicircle in this photo.

    f0082-02.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    B To remove any blue-yellow and red-green color shifts, we checked Remove Chromatic Aberration.

  3. Zoom to 100% view on an area where you suspect there is a purple or green color fringe, and with the Hand tool (H), center it in the preview.

    Adjust the Purple Amount and/or Green Amount values. The higher the value, the wider the area on the edges of shapes in which fringe removal occurs. If the photo contains objects that are purple or green, beware of setting too high a correction value, which could degrade their color.

    • To help you locate which areas of a photo contain purple or green fringes, zoom out, then Alt/Option click-and-hold on the Purple Amount or Green Amount slider. Areas where the fringe is present display as black. C–D Purple fringes commonly occur around specular highlights. Zoom back in when you're done.
    f0082-03.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    C To preview any purple fringe as black, with Alt/Option held down, we clicked and held the Purple Amount slider. Black displayed along the edge of the stone semicircle.

    f0082-04.jpg

    Click to view larger image

    D To preview any green fringe as black, with Alt/ Option held down, we clicked and held the Green Amount slider. No black displayed, a sign that green fringe wasn’t an issue in this area of the photo.

To control the range of hues that the Purple Amount and Green Amount sliders affect (in other words, the area in which fringe removal occurs), drag the Purple Hue or Green Hue bar over a hue area on the spectrum (the spectrum of affected colors displays within the bar) and/or widen or narrow the range by dragging either endpoint of the bar. (To reset the bar to its default length and position, double-click within it.)

  • To display the affected colors temporarily as black in the preview, zoom out a bit, then with Alt/Option held down, drag the Purple Hue or Green Hue bar. A–D
f0083-01.jpg

Click to view larger image

A We increased the Purple Amount value, then held down Alt/Option and dragged the Purple Hue bar slightly to the left. At this setting, the fringe correction was affecting the top of the stone semicircle — which wasn’t our intention.

f0083-02.jpg

Click to view larger image

B We held down Alt/Option and dragged the Purple Hue bar to the right, then dragged the right endpoint inward to narrow the range. At this setting, the fringe correction is affecting primarily the edge of the semicircle — mission accomplished.

f0083-03.jpg

Click to view larger image

C Compare this original image to the final image, which is shown at right.

f0083-04.jpg

Click to view larger image

D The purple fringe is gone from the edge of the semicircle.

  • When adjusting a photo that contains foliage, avoid positioning the Green Hue bar over the orange/yellow color range (at the left end of the spectrum), which could gray out the essential yellows in the image.

Peachpit Promotional Mailings & Special Offers

I would like to receive exclusive offers and hear about products from Peachpit and its family of brands. I can unsubscribe at any time.

Overview


Pearson Education, Inc., 221 River Street, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030, (Pearson) presents this site to provide information about Peachpit products and services that can be purchased through this site.

This privacy notice provides an overview of our commitment to privacy and describes how we collect, protect, use and share personal information collected through this site. Please note that other Pearson websites and online products and services have their own separate privacy policies.

Collection and Use of Information


To conduct business and deliver products and services, Pearson collects and uses personal information in several ways in connection with this site, including:

Questions and Inquiries

For inquiries and questions, we collect the inquiry or question, together with name, contact details (email address, phone number and mailing address) and any other additional information voluntarily submitted to us through a Contact Us form or an email. We use this information to address the inquiry and respond to the question.

Online Store

For orders and purchases placed through our online store on this site, we collect order details, name, institution name and address (if applicable), email address, phone number, shipping and billing addresses, credit/debit card information, shipping options and any instructions. We use this information to complete transactions, fulfill orders, communicate with individuals placing orders or visiting the online store, and for related purposes.

Surveys

Pearson may offer opportunities to provide feedback or participate in surveys, including surveys evaluating Pearson products, services or sites. Participation is voluntary. Pearson collects information requested in the survey questions and uses the information to evaluate, support, maintain and improve products, services or sites; develop new products and services; conduct educational research; and for other purposes specified in the survey.

Contests and Drawings

Occasionally, we may sponsor a contest or drawing. Participation is optional. Pearson collects name, contact information and other information specified on the entry form for the contest or drawing to conduct the contest or drawing. Pearson may collect additional personal information from the winners of a contest or drawing in order to award the prize and for tax reporting purposes, as required by law.

Newsletters

If you have elected to receive email newsletters or promotional mailings and special offers but want to unsubscribe, simply email ask@peachpit.com.

Service Announcements

On rare occasions it is necessary to send out a strictly service related announcement. For instance, if our service is temporarily suspended for maintenance we might send users an email. Generally, users may not opt-out of these communications, though they can deactivate their account information. However, these communications are not promotional in nature.

Customer Service

We communicate with users on a regular basis to provide requested services and in regard to issues relating to their account we reply via email or phone in accordance with the users' wishes when a user submits their information through our Contact Us form.

Other Collection and Use of Information


Application and System Logs

Pearson automatically collects log data to help ensure the delivery, availability and security of this site. Log data may include technical information about how a user or visitor connected to this site, such as browser type, type of computer/device, operating system, internet service provider and IP address. We use this information for support purposes and to monitor the health of the site, identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents and appropriately scale computing resources.

Web Analytics

Pearson may use third party web trend analytical services, including Google Analytics, to collect visitor information, such as IP addresses, browser types, referring pages, pages visited and time spent on a particular site. While these analytical services collect and report information on an anonymous basis, they may use cookies to gather web trend information. The information gathered may enable Pearson (but not the third party web trend services) to link information with application and system log data. Pearson uses this information for system administration and to identify problems, improve service, detect unauthorized access and fraudulent activity, prevent and respond to security incidents, appropriately scale computing resources and otherwise support and deliver this site and its services.

Cookies and Related Technologies

This site uses cookies and similar technologies to personalize content, measure traffic patterns, control security, track use and access of information on this site, and provide interest-based messages and advertising. Users can manage and block the use of cookies through their browser. Disabling or blocking certain cookies may limit the functionality of this site.

Do Not Track

This site currently does not respond to Do Not Track signals.

Security


Pearson uses appropriate physical, administrative and technical security measures to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure.

Children


This site is not directed to children under the age of 13.

Marketing


Pearson may send or direct marketing communications to users, provided that

  • Pearson will not use personal information collected or processed as a K-12 school service provider for the purpose of directed or targeted advertising.
  • Such marketing is consistent with applicable law and Pearson's legal obligations.
  • Pearson will not knowingly direct or send marketing communications to an individual who has expressed a preference not to receive marketing.
  • Where required by applicable law, express or implied consent to marketing exists and has not been withdrawn.

Pearson may provide personal information to a third party service provider on a restricted basis to provide marketing solely on behalf of Pearson or an affiliate or customer for whom Pearson is a service provider. Marketing preferences may be changed at any time.

Correcting/Updating Personal Information


If a user's personally identifiable information changes (such as your postal address or email address), we provide a way to correct or update that user's personal data provided to us. This can be done on the Account page. If a user no longer desires our service and desires to delete his or her account, please contact us at customer-service@informit.com and we will process the deletion of a user's account.

Choice/Opt-out


Users can always make an informed choice as to whether they should proceed with certain services offered by Adobe Press. If you choose to remove yourself from our mailing list(s) simply visit the following page and uncheck any communication you no longer want to receive: www.peachpit.com/u.aspx.

Sale of Personal Information


Pearson does not rent or sell personal information in exchange for any payment of money.

While Pearson does not sell personal information, as defined in Nevada law, Nevada residents may email a request for no sale of their personal information to NevadaDesignatedRequest@pearson.com.

Supplemental Privacy Statement for California Residents


California residents should read our Supplemental privacy statement for California residents in conjunction with this Privacy Notice. The Supplemental privacy statement for California residents explains Pearson's commitment to comply with California law and applies to personal information of California residents collected in connection with this site and the Services.

Sharing and Disclosure


Pearson may disclose personal information, as follows:

  • As required by law.
  • With the consent of the individual (or their parent, if the individual is a minor)
  • In response to a subpoena, court order or legal process, to the extent permitted or required by law
  • To protect the security and safety of individuals, data, assets and systems, consistent with applicable law
  • In connection the sale, joint venture or other transfer of some or all of its company or assets, subject to the provisions of this Privacy Notice
  • To investigate or address actual or suspected fraud or other illegal activities
  • To exercise its legal rights, including enforcement of the Terms of Use for this site or another contract
  • To affiliated Pearson companies and other companies and organizations who perform work for Pearson and are obligated to protect the privacy of personal information consistent with this Privacy Notice
  • To a school, organization, company or government agency, where Pearson collects or processes the personal information in a school setting or on behalf of such organization, company or government agency.

Links


This web site contains links to other sites. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other sites. We encourage our users to be aware when they leave our site and to read the privacy statements of each and every web site that collects Personal Information. This privacy statement applies solely to information collected by this web site.

Requests and Contact


Please contact us about this Privacy Notice or if you have any requests or questions relating to the privacy of your personal information.

Changes to this Privacy Notice


We may revise this Privacy Notice through an updated posting. We will identify the effective date of the revision in the posting. Often, updates are made to provide greater clarity or to comply with changes in regulatory requirements. If the updates involve material changes to the collection, protection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, Pearson will provide notice of the change through a conspicuous notice on this site or other appropriate way. Continued use of the site after the effective date of a posted revision evidences acceptance. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns about the Privacy Notice or any objection to any revisions.

Last Update: November 17, 2020